Jeremiah Fears Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Notes: Dumars, Fears, Queen, Murray, Size

June 26th, 2025 at 5:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has been very active, making three trades over the last nine days. He wound up with two lottery picks after moving the No. 23 pick and next year’s first-rounder to the Hawks for the No. 13 selection, with which he chose Maryland big man Derik Queen. Earlier, at the No. 7 spot, he chose Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears.

Prior to the draft, Dumars agreed to deal CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to the Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in this year’s draft.

“It’s the only way I’ve ever had success in this league. I’ve been around aggressive teams my entire life,” Dumars said on Wednesday, per Will Guillory of The Athletic. “We’re going to be an aggressive team. We’re going to be an aggressive front office.”

Dumars explained why he selected Fears, who struggled with his long-range shooting in his lone college season at Oklahoma.

“I like his skill set. The ability to get anywhere on the court like that is a unique ability,” Dumars said. “If you’re going to be a really, really good team, you have to have guys who can compromise the other team’s defense. … When you do that, you’ve got a chance.”

As for moving up to take Queen, Dumars indicated he was pursuing trades to go up and get the Maryland standout as early as the No. 9 pick.

“I put his IQ for the game up against anybody in this draft. This is a super, super high-IQ guy,” Dumars said. “He finds people. He has the mentality of a guard. He’ll push it up. He’s just got unique skills for a 6-10 big.”

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Some draft pundits are questioning the fit of Queen with Zion Williamson, but the rookie is intent to show that Dumars made a wise decision, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “It shows how much they wanted me and how much they believe in me,” Queen said. “I’m just ready to show them they got their money’s worth and ready to put on for the Pelicans.”
Dejounte Murray is looking forward to blending his talents with the new additions. Dumars spoke with the combo guard on Wednesday and Murray requested the phone numbers of the newcomers, leading Dumars to describe Murray as “all in,” Guillory tweets. Dumars has also addressed with Murray some of the concerns the veteran guard expressed about his first season with the franchise during a recent podcast. Murray called it his “worst experience in the NBA,” not only because of his injuries issues – a broken hand and a torn Achilles – but numerous personal problems. He felt that he didn’t get the sort of support he needed from the previous regime. “The organization, it got bad, man,” he said. “As you guys can see, such and such got fired, another guy left, they brought new people in.”
The addition of Queen addresses at least part of the concerns raised by the trade of Olynyk, as it left the Pelicans thin in the frontcourt. Guillory noted prior to the draft (Twitter link) that Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic were the only centers remaining on the roster.

Pelicans Draft Jeremiah Fears With No. 7 Pick

June 25th, 2025 at 7:55pm CST by Rory Maher

With the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, the Pelicans have selected guard Jeremiah Fears.

Fears raised his stock significantly over the course of his first and only college season at Oklahoma — he didn’t show up at all on ESPN’s 59-player mock draft last November. The former four-star recruit was among the NCAA’s best ball-handlers and play-makers as a freshman, averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game in 34 outings (31 starts).

Fears’ jumper remains a work in progress, as he knocked down just 28.4% of 3.9 three-point tries per game for the Sooners, but the 6’4″ guard still has plenty of room to grow — he won’t turn 19 years old until October.

While Fears is viewed by some talent evaluators as having star-level upside, it could take him a while to reach that point, with defense and decision-making two other critical areas he needs to improve on going forward, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Interestingly, the Pelicans recently agreed to trade CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to Washington for Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey. Assuming Poole is New Orleans’ starting point guard, Fears — whose game is somewhat similar to Poole’s — could initially be a spark-plug scorer off the bench.

Fischer’s Latest: Sixers, Bailey, Edgecombe, Fears, Maluach, More

June 25th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are expected to make one last attempt to trade up to No. 2 for the chance to draft Dylan Harper, but it’s not likely to be successful, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Fischer believes the Spurs have decided they want Harper to be part of their future and haven’t given serious consideration to parting with the pick.

Fischer adds that the most likely scenario is for the Sixers to stay at No. 3 unless there’s a sharp improvement in the offers from other teams. He also suggests that Ace Bailey remains in contention to be selected, even though he canceled a workout in Philadelphia and has sent out signals that he would rather be selected by a team that could offer guaranteed playing time and a larger role in the offense. Fischer still considers Bailey to be a strong fit alongside Joel Embiid and Paul George because of his shooting skills, but he acknowledges that V.J. Edgecombe is the “likely top contender” to go to Philadelphia.

If Bailey does get bypassed by the Sixers, Fischer doesn’t expect him to fall farther that the Wizards at No. 6. League sources tell him that Bailey declined a chance to work out for the Jazz, and it’s believed that he didn’t have an official visit with any of the lottery teams. Fischer points out that Washington meets Bailey’s requirements as a team that could offer “a healthy shot profile and on-ball creation opportunities.”

Fischer shares more inside information as the draft draws closer:

The Nets are likely to pounce on point guard Jeremiah Fears if he’s still on the board at No. 8, Fischer states, noting that rumors of his preference for Brooklyn date back to the Draft Combine. Fears made visits to Utah and New Orleans, and Fischer believes his range appears to start with the fifth pick. Fischer also raises the possibility that the Nets could package some of the five first-rounders they have tonight to move up if they believe another team might select Fears.
Fischer calls Khaman Maluach “the most consequential domino of the first round” apart from Bailey. He’s considered the top available big man, and Fischer notes that he helped himself with strong performances during the interview process. League sources tell Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports that the Pelicans are expected to try to trade up to land Bailey. If they’re unsuccessful, then Maluach could be their pick at No. 7 if he’s still on the board. O’Connor hears that some lottery teams have Maluach ranked in their top two or three and he’s considered “one of the most popular trade-up targets.”
Fischer believes the Pelicans mark the start of Derik Queen‘s range if someone else takes Maluach, but he adds that the Spurs may try to trade up from No. 14 for the Duke center, while the Raptors at No. 9 also have him highly rated.
Cedric Coward has been improving his status throughout the pre-draft process, and Fischer doesn’t expect him to fall past the teens. Sources tell Fischer that Coward has interest from the Trail Blazers at No. 11 and he has worked out multiple times for the Thunder, who hold the 15th pick. Fischer hears that the Nets are hoping to land Coward at No. 19, but they may need to trade up to have a chance.
NCAA Tournament star Walter Clayton Jr. has “multiple suitors” in the early 20s, according to Fischer. He cites league insiders who believe Clayton and Jase Richardson could be targets for the Kings if they’re able to trade for a pick in that range.
There’s an expectation that this will be an active trading night, possibly starting with the Sixers at No. 3 and the Hornets at No. 4. “There’s gonna be at least four or five (trades),” a Western Conference team strategist told Fischer.

Draft Notes: Latest Mocks, Murray-Boyles, Jakucionis, NIL Impact, Seniors, Team Needs

June 23rd, 2025 at 5:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The latest ESPN mock draft has plenty of guards going in the lottery. Their experts, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, believe that eight guards and/or wings will come off the board within the first 13 picks.

After Cooper Flagg (Mavericks) and Dylan Harper (Spurs), ESPN’s latest mock has guards V.J. Edgecombe (Sixers), Kon Knueppel (Hornets) and Jeremiah Fears (Jazz) rounding out the top five. Ace Bailey, formerly considered a top three pick, slips to the Wizards at No. 6. The Suns, who are acquiring the No. 10 pick from the Rockets, are projected to take South Carolina big man Collin Murray-Boyles.

Here’s more draft-related info:

In his latest mock draft, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie says he thinks the Sixers trading down from the No. 3 slot remains a real possibility. The Hornets have also had discussions moving both up and down the board from the No. 4 spot, while Texas wing Tre Johnson could be a surprise selection in the top five, Vecenie writes, adding that Johnson could go as high as No. 3.
Speaking of Murray-Boyles, he worked out for the Trail Blazers over the weekend, as did Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian tweets. ESPN ranks Murray-Boyles at No. 13 overall with Jakucionis at No. 10. Portland owns the No. 11 pick.
Just 32 non-international early entrants from colleges and other basketball teams or leagues and 14 international players remain in the draft, a dramatic drop-off from recent years. What’s the difference? NIL money has motivated most prospects to stay in college, unless they believe they’ll go in the first round, as Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports details. “If you are not a guaranteed first-round pick, top-20, top-30 guy—unless you really do not want to play college basketball anymore, we are recommending and most of them are staying in school as long as they possibly can,” Michael Raymond, president and founder of Raymond Representation, told Christovich.
The draft is usually headed by one-and-dones and other underclassmen. However, there are more seasoned college players who will come off the board this year. HoopsHype’s Cyro Asseo de Choch takes a look at the cream of the senior crop.
The Athletic’s Law Murray breaks down the biggest draft needs for each team, identifying the picks each of those clubs hold.

Trade Rumors: Kings, Holiday, Young, Wizards, Celtics, Wolves

June 20th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked during a radio appearance on Sactown Sports 1140 (YouTube link) this week about the Kings‘ offseason plans and whether new general manager Scott Perry might make drastic changes to the roster, Sam Amick of The Athletic said Sacramento is exploring “a lot” of possibilities.

“I don’t know how much they’re going to overhaul the roster,” Amick said (hat tip to Brian Robb of MassLive.com). “But I think they are looking at big stuff, I think they’re looking at small stuff. The point guard pursuit is very real. I don’t know where they will land on that front. It’s kind of an ‘If only Jrue Holiday was five years younger’-type thing. I think that type of option has been considered and explored, but is imperfect because of his age.

“If you go younger, a lot of Trae Young rumors. My understanding is that there’s not interest there unless it came attached to a bunch of first-round picks.”

While Holiday has been one of the NBA’s best two-way players for years, the Celtics veteran is entering his age-35 season and is owed $104.4MM over the next three years. Young, meanwhile, is one of the NBA’s top play-makers but isn’t a great defender and lacks positional size. The Hawks guard is owed $46MM in 2025/26 and could become an unrestricted free agent a year from now if he declines a player option worth nearly $49MM.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

The Wizards have explored trading up from No. 6 in the hopes of landing a long-term point guard like Dylan Harper or Jeremiah Fears and have been willing to part with “surprising names” in their conversations about the second overall pick, reports Grant Afseth of RG.org. However, those efforts have been rebuffed, with the Spurs still considered likely to hang onto that No. 2 pick. As Afseth explains, stabilizing the point guard position has become a priority for the rebuilding Wizards, who have also done extensive due diligence on point guard prospects who may be on the board at No. 18.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania reiterated that it will be very difficult to convince the Celtics to move either Jaylen Brown or Derrick White this summer. “I’m sure teams are throwing crazy offers for guys like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, but it’ll take a pretty insurmountable package to get those guys out of Boston,” Charania said.
While the Timberwolves are reportedly hoping Suns forward Kevin Durant warms to the idea of playing in Minnesota, current Wolves star Anthony Edwards isn’t actively recruiting his former Olympic teammate, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears and Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today this week (YouTube link; hat tip to RealGM).

Draft Notes: Guards, Wings, Trades, Fears, Queen

June 19th, 2025 at 10:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Even after Duke phenom Cooper Flagg and Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, the draft’s presumed top two picks, come off the board, this year’s draft lottery is loaded with intriguing wings and guards.

David Aldridge of The Athletic consulted with anonymous league scouts and coaches about the best guard prospects in the draft, and also took a look at the best potential NBA wings.

Harper proved to be somewhat divisive. The folks Aldridge consulted were decidedly mixed on his upside, with some projecting him as an eventual All-Star and others believing he could be a longtime pro but may not have a high ceiling.

“He has a professionalism about him that’s really uncommon,” one college assistant coach said of Harper. “He knows the game. He plays the right way. He guards. He tries defensively.”

Arizona wing Carter Bryant may lack a great handle, but an Eastern Conference scout appreciates the rest of his offensive makeup. He’s projected to be the No. 10 pick in the latest ESPN mock.

“His shot’s fluid, especially in spot-up situations,” the scout said. “He’s not somebody who’ll create his own shots, at least his first few years in the league. He’s good at relocating to open space. His shot comes out of his hand really well, and the defense is high-level.”

There’s more intel ahead of the draft:

In a fairly deep draft year, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports identifies several prospects he believes could be worth trading down out of the top three to acquire for the Spurs and Sixers. O’Connor evaluates the shooting promise of Duke guard Kon Knueppel and Texas guard Tre Johnson, the motor of Baylor wing V.J. Edgecombe, and the upside of Duke center Khaman Maluach, among other lottery-level players.
Should they stay put, the Nets could still have plenty of promising possibilities to select with the eighth pick this year. An NBA scout raved to Brian Lewis of The New York Post about the upside of Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, who could still be available in the middle of the lottery. “I’m not [drafting] in the top two or three, in terms of being able to hit a home run on a guy that could be an absolute superstar game-changer, he’d be one of the guys past [Nos.] 3 or 4 that could actually do that,” the scout said.
Under a new front office regime, the Pelicans are high on freshman Maryland big Derik Queen, a source informs Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). New Orleans possesses the No. 7 pick this season following another injury-plagued year. The All-Big Ten center averaged 16.5 PPG and 9.0 RPG in Maryland last year.

Draft Rumors: Top Eight, Maluach, Raptors, Sixers, Hornets, More

June 17th, 2025 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

There appears to be a consensus developing among many of the teams and executives around the league about the top eight prospects in the 2025 NBA draft, Jake Fischer writes for The Stein Line (Substack link). According to Fischer, while the order after the top two remains up in the air, Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, V.J. Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Jeremiah Fears, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach are widely viewed as the the top eight players available this year.

“If it’s not those eight (drafted in the top eight), it will be seven of those eight,” one Eastern Conference executive told Fischer.

That developing consensus may be one reason why the Raptors’ selection at No. 9 is widely viewed as the top-10 pick most likely to be traded, according to Fischer.

While league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org that multiple members of Toronto’s front office are thought to be high on Maluach, the Duke big man seems unlikely to still be available at No. 9. He has visited the Wizards (No. 6) and Pelicans (No. 7), in addition to the Hawks (No. 13), and is also expected to meet with the Jazz (No. 5) before the draft. As such, the Raptors have been spending time evaluating centers who are little further down on draft boards, such as Danny Wolf and Asa Newell, Fischer reports.

A number of teams in the back half of the lottery, starting with the Pelicans at No. 7, have been connected to center prospects too, Fischer notes. That group includes the Bulls at No. 12 and the Hawks at No. 13 — Nikola Vucevic and Clint Capela have spent most of the last few years as those teams’ starting centers, but Vucevic is a trade candidate and Capela is entering free agency, so the Bulls and Hawks may each be looking to add a young player to their frontcourt.

Here’s more on the draft:

The Sixers (No. 3) and Hornets (No. 4) have conveyed to teams that they’re prepared to listen to trade offers for their picks until they’re on the clock next Wednesday, sources tell Fischer. The Jazz (No. 5) haven’t actively encouraged trade interest in their pick, while the Wizards (No. 6) are considered a possible trade-up candidate, Fischer adds.
The Raptors worked out guards Jase Richardson and Nolan Traore on Monday, according to Afseth. Both players are projected first-round picks, though Richardson is at No. 20 on ESPN’s big board while Traore is at No. 25. It’s unclear if Toronto is considering one or both at No. 9 or preparing for possible trade-down scenarios.
Washington State’s Cedric Coward and French center Joan Beringer are receiving legitimate lottery consideration, Afseth writes in a separate RG.org story. The Hawks (No. 13) and Spurs (No. 14) are among the teams closely monitoring Beringer, sources tell Afseth. “He hasn’t been playing the game that long, but you’d never guess it with how quickly he picks things up,” one scout said of Beringer.
Wisconsin’s Steven Crowl, who has worked out for the Warriors and Nuggets, among other teams, is having a strong pre-draft process and is considered a good candidate for a two-way contract, per Afseth.
Illinois’ Will Riley was considered a likely target for the Magic at No. 16, according to Fischer, who says it’s possible some teams in the late teens will have a shot at Riley now that Orlando has traded that pick to the Grizzlies.

Wizards Rumors: Rebuild, Young Core, Draft, Fears

June 17th, 2025 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are expected to take a patient approach to their rebuild, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, who hears from a team source that the front office plans to continue evaluating its young core through at least the end of the 2027/28 season.

In addition to the current Wizards players who have one or two NBA seasons under their belts, like Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington, and Kyshawn George, that young core figures to feature at least one or two rookies from the 2025 draft class (Washington controls the sixth, 18th, and 40th overall picks), as well as the player(s) the team drafts in 2026.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Washington will remain at or near the top of the draft lottery for the next three seasons. Houston is an example of a club that has taken a few years to evaluate its young core while supplementing those players on rookie scale contracts with veteran free agents and making a significant move up the standings in the process.

As Robbins explains, the Wizards simply don’t want to give up on any of their young players too early by including them in a trade for a win-now veteran before they get a better sense of what those youngsters can become. Robbins points to the Kings trading Tyrese Haliburton less than two years after drafting him or the Pelicans trading Dyson Daniels after his second season as the types of moves the Wizards will look to avoid in the coming years.

We have more out of D.C.:

Washington will send its 2026 first-round pick to New York if it lands outside the top eight. If that pick ends up in its protected range, the Knicks will instead receive the Wizards’ 2026 and 2027 second-rounders. Given how important it is to the Wizards to keep that first-rounder after having no luck in the 2025 draft lottery, Robbins says it’s “very difficult” to envision a scenario in which the club risks losing it. In other words, Washington appears likely to be one of the league’s five worst teams again in 2025/26.
Robbins wouldn’t be surprised if the Wizards look to trade up from No. 6 or No. 18 for a specific player they like. As he points out, they moved up one spot in the 2023 lottery to nab Coulibaly and two spots in 2024 to draft George.
The Wizards would like to upgrade their backcourt this summer and have done “extensive due diligence” on draft-eligible guards, sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org, who identifies Jeremiah Fears as a name to watch if the Sooner standout is available at No. 6.
A team source who spoke to Robbins believes that – with Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper virtually certain to be drafted first and second – the Wizards have six players in their next tier and will decide from among the prospects still available in that group. That tier consists of V.J. Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Fears, Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach.

Draft Rumors: Edgecombe, Bailey, Spurs, Knueppel, Fears, Hawks, More

June 17th, 2025 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

For the first time since the Sixers claimed the No. 3 overall pick in last month’s draft lottery, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo are projecting Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe, rather than Rutgers forward Ace Bailey, to be the pick in that spot.

As Givony explains within ESPN’s latest mock draft, Edgecombe made a strong positive impression during his visit to Philadelphia, whereas Bailey initially didn’t make plans to meet with the Sixers at all. Bailey has since changed course and will work out for the 76ers later this week, but it sounds like he may not been enthusiastic about his “pathway to development” in Philadelphia.

According to Givony, Bailey hasn’t yet conducted a known workout and has declined invitations from multiple teams in his draft range. Sources tell ESPN that his camp believes he’s a top-three player in the draft class but that they want him to end up in a situation where there’s a path to stardom. With that in mind, some teams have wondered if Bailey has received a promise from a team outside the top five that he views as more favorable in terms of both playing time and geography.

Givony and Woo have Bailey slipping to Washington at No. 6 in their latest mock, with Givony writing that the Wizards and the Pelicans (at No. 7) are both believed to be “highly intrigued” by the 18-year-old’s upside and could probably offer him more minutes right away than a team like Philadelphia could.

Here’s more from ESPN on the 2025 NBA draft:

Rival teams who have been in touch with the Spurs have come away believing that San Antonio will hang onto the No. 2 overall pick and select Dylan Harper, according to Givony, who says the Spurs are excited about adding a talent like Harper and appear willing to address potential fit issues down the road.
Although the No. 8 pick is viewed as Kon Knueppel‘s likely floor, he could end up coming off the board a few picks ahead of that. The Hornets (No. 4) and Jazz (No. 5) both appear to have interest in the Duke sharpshooter, Givony reports.
Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears looks like a relatively safe bet to be drafted between No. 5 and No. 8, writes Woo. The Jazz are viewed as the top end of Fears’ range, while the Pelicans (No. 7) and Nets (No. 8) are thought to be interested. Grant Afseth of RG.org said something similar on Monday while also identifying the Wizards at No. 6 as a possibility for Fears.
Rival teams believe the Hawks will likely be targeting a big man and a guard with their first-round picks if they hang onto both of them, says Woo. Even if the Hawks do take that route, the order in which they address those two spots will hinge in large part on who’s available after the first 12 picks. ESPN’s mock has Atlanta taking Egor Demin at No. 13 and Danny Wolf at No. 22.
Collin Murray-Boyles is considered a polarizing prospect, with some evaluators viewing the South Carolina standout as a potential “outstanding” role player while others are concerned about his shooting and his positional size, according to Woo. Murray-Boyles’ range may start around the No. 10 pick.
Arizona’s Carter Bryant has had a very good pre-draft process and looks like a strong candidate to come off the board in the 9-15 range, per Givony.

Draft Notes: Sixers’ Plans, Heat Workouts, Sorber, Mock

June 14th, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Earnest Marshall

Confirming a recent report that stated the Sixers have talked to the Spurs about the possibility about the No. 2 overall pick, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that moving up to draft Dylan Harper would give Philadelphia the sort of point guard the team has long coveted. Harper would pair nicely with Tyrese Maxey while Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes could split on/off-ball duties.

If the Sixers don’t make a deal for the No. 2 pick, it remains unclear whether they’ll stick at No. 3 or trade down. The third pick feels like an early turning point in the draft, with the Sixers reportedly impressed by Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe and, according to Pompey, split on Harper’s Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey.

In 30 games last year, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

We have more rumors related to the draft:

San Francisco guard Marcus Williams and Kansas guard Zeke Mayo have worked out for the Heat, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Neither player is projected to be drafted, but Miami has a strong history of developing overlooked players. Williams averaged 15.1 points and 4.3 assists per game last year while Mayo averaged 14.6 PPG. Both players shot over 40.0% from three. Rounding up recent mocks, Jackson writes that Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Rasheer Fleming are among popular picks for the Heat if they stick with their 20th overall selection.
Georgetown center Thomas Sorber visited with the Jazz, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones (Twitter link). Sorber is recovering from a season-ending foot injury, so he didn’t work out but instead had dinner with team officials and underwent a medical evaluation. Sorber is ESPN’s 18th best-available prospect and the Jazz hold picks Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53.
HoopsHype updated its aggregate mock draft that combines evaluations from 10 major sites to provide a consensus prediction. Bailey remains at No. 3 with Edgecombe going fourth to the Hornets. Jeremiah Fears (mocked sixth to the Wizards) and Cedric Coward (mocked 15th to the Thunder) are among the notable risers.